


Wash My Sorrows

by 28percent



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Baby MV, Coming of Age, Confusion, Dissociation, Drugs, Emotions, M/M, Needing to be perfect, Running Away
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 00:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13224165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/28percent/pseuds/28percent
Summary: Dongmin's done with trying to be perfect, he knows he'll never be the man he wants to be. Or maybe he's not supposed to be who thinks he should be.Wandering through the night, Dongmin stumbles upon a mysterious store, with a mysterious bartender who serves mysterious drinks.Baby MV-AU with a dark side.





	Wash My Sorrows

The streets of Seoul weren't that different at night as they were in the day. It was just as bright, just as noisy. Nothing about taking a walk was refreshing and Dongmin couldn't focus and clear his head.

All that was on his mind was how lame and pathetic he was. How he'd amounted to everything and nothing of what was expected of him. Maybe he wasn't as perfect as he'd grown up thinking he could be. Replaying through his brain was the recent fight he'd had with his boyfriend, Bin. Dongmin couldn't really recall what it'd been about. Had he accused Bin of something or was Dongmin at fault?

_ It’s always your fault. _

That happened sometimes. A fight or a conversation or anything significant would occur, and in retrospect, Dongmin wouldn't remember any of it. The words that were said were totally lost. As for his emotions, there was nothing. Had he been angry? Bitter? Sensitive? He knew he'd been crying. His eyes felt sore and his cheeks were burning. 

On his walk, Dongmin passed by a number of stores and looked at his reflection in the windows. As he took steps forward, his image waved and faltered, interrupted by a light or store sign. Other people passed by him, not daring to look at themselves in the windows or into the stores.  

Dongmin's route began to blend into a never-ending track, like a treadmill. Everything he observed looked the same as before, every step felt the same. Maybe he could continue walking forever, until the end of the world.

With the free time, Dongmin tried his best to recall why he'd left his apartment. Or had it been Bin's? 

_ "Don't yell at me just because you're jealous!" _ a voice screamed. It was Bin's. 

_ "I-I can't keep up with-th this," _ stammered Dongmin's memory in response. 

So it'd been his fault. It was always his fault. Always Dongmin that held everyone back. 

_ He’s better than you. I know I can’t do it. _

More steps forward and the sky grew darker. Dongmin soon realized he was relatively alone on the sidewalk, the buildings surrounding him either closed or abandoned. Every few paces and he could see a homeless person crouching. 

_ Look at them. They literally live in shit, but they don't wander around crying. Or maybe they do. But they're still stronger than me. Who isn't stronger than you? _

All of a sudden, Dongmin had to stop. He didn't expect this to happen, but the street had finally ended. He'd never walked so far for so long in one direction to find the end of a road. 

What caught him more off guard was the structure immediately beside him, to the right. The building was a perfect cube and polished white, impossibly clean for the dingy neighbourhood. On the front side was a regular wooden door and an irregular rainbow neon sign displaying, "D-STORE". Another rainbow was pasted onto a small window in the wooden door. 

_ Depending on what the 'D' stands for, this could either be a sex shop or the fanciest music junk store I've ever seen. _

It was neither.

Seeing as he'd reached the natural end to his journey, Dongmin had two choices, turn around and go home, or check out the strange store. 

_ "You're always doing this! Why can't you ever think about what you're doing?" _ Bin's voice vibrated through Dongmin's head.

The choice was obvious. Dongmin left to escape, here was an opportunity. 

Tentatively, he approached the entrance, his hands rubbing together nervously. There was no movement behind the window, no noise or life. He lifted his arm and rapped his knuckles across the glass and waited for an answer. Nothing stirred behind the door, though a light was on inside. Dongmin pressed his face against the glass and tried to examine the room, but could see nothing. 

With his forehead still against the surface, the door swung open and Dongmin plummeted downwards, letting out a cry. He immediately scrambled back up, hating to be in a compromised position. 

Standing above him was a tall and skinny young boy with bleached hair and a pert face. His clothing was a Sci-Fi-looking attendant uniform, a white longsleeve with a black stripe running along his chest horizontally and black dress pants.

"Stand much?" teased the boy. He looked over at the door. "You smudged the glass, you villain.” He smeared his thumb along the window. ”Now I'll have to wipe your forehead grease before my shift is over."

Dongmin didn't say anything in response. It was quiet. He'd expected some sort of muscled doorman that escorted shady people into the building, not a stick-like receptionist. 

"Uhhh..." whispered Dongmin.

"Well? What do you want? You know what this place is for, right?" The boy stared at Dongmin with a quizzical look, head cocked to the side slightly.

At this moment Dongmin switched from himself into a composed, proper individual. He straightened his back and elongated his spine, like he’d been taught to perform.

_ Come on, pick yourself up and act like an adult. _

"No. I don't know what this place is. Please tell me," he tried to sound as calm as possible.

The boy mimicked the new gentlemanly address, hyper-extending his body. "Why of course sir," almost sarcastically, "please, come in and I will show you around." The boy stepped back from the entrance and bowed deeply to Dongmin. 

The inside of the store was almost the same as the outside, just furnished. Each side of the cubical room was a clear white, not a speck of dust or dirt in sight. A few tables lined the wall to the left of Dongmin, all different colours in a retro style with vinyl cushions. To the right was a bar with shelves of soda bottles reaching the ceiling. Stools scattered the floor and empty soda bottles scattered the entire store. Dongmin's first impression was a futuristic space capsule on the way to a concert on Mars. But for a rainbow colours festival. 

_ So, the 'D' stands for drink? Hopefully. _ Dongmin glanced at the boy, he guessed bartender, as he continued into the empty room.

"You came just around closing time. That's why I still haven't cleaned up yet. Most people don't come in here at 3:00 at the ass crack of dawn." There was no bitterness in his voice, as Dongmin expected, just general exhaustion.

"Is all you sell soda? Or whatever this drink is?" asked Dongmin.

The boy nodded. "Yeah, all of the drinks are carbonated sugar drinks, just of different flavours. But they're not exactly soda." He looked down and started playing with his hands.

"What is it, then?" Dongmin becoming suspicious.

The boy bit his lip and began gathering the empty bottles. "My name's Yoon Sanha." He ignored the question for now. "What's your's?"

With complete fluidity Dongmin replied, "Cha Eunwoo. So what are you selling?" He wanted to know whether he should be making a break for it yet.

Sanha set down his armful of bottles and directed Dongmin to a bright orange table. The two sat down uncomfortably. 

Dongmin quickly examined one of the empty bottles. A few drops of chartreuse liquid remained at the bottom. A white print of a six-pointed star marked the glass. He noticed how Sanha's pants hiked up to his shins as he sat down, his uniform not meant to be worn by giant teenagers.

Sanha assumed a business voice, "Well, Mr. Cha, have you ever wanted to feel different than how you're feeling at present?"

_ I want to stop crying. _ "Sometimes."

"At the D-STORE, we serve mood changing beverages that can show you virtually anything your brain needs to see at any given moment."

Finally Dongmin understood, he'd walked into a lavish drug cartel. He wasn't experienced in the world of intoxicants. He couldn't tell if whether what was in the bottles was melted narcotics or bubbly margaritas with crack mixed in.

"I don't think this is the business I'm looking for." Dongmin didn't need this right now. 

_ I do need this. I just can't. This is a distraction I can't afford. Another problem to trouble Bin with. _

Dongmin quickly stood from his seat, purposefully graceful, proving to himself he was above this ridiculousness. Above this druggie. He softly made for the door, reaching for the handle. 

Without getting up or turning around, Sanha spoke up. "I can tell you need this. That's why you ran. I know because it's obvious. You think you're too good for this shit, but you're wrong. The kind of person you want to be would never have knocked, would never been down this street. He'd be home right now in bed, dreaming about boring things. But you're not boring, are you?" At this he looked up at Dongmin, who was staring back at Sanha curiously. "I promise things can be better. You don't have to pretend, Eunwoo." Sanha flashed a childish smile and seemed to banish his previous dark words. 

Dongmin continued to simply stare at this stranger, who seemed to know exactly Dongmin's situation. He concluded Yoon Sanha was a witch of some sort. And almost wished that were the case. Wouldn't a witch just be so preposterous?  

_ He can help me. _

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know my description of the D. STORE isn't what it was in the video. But I remembered it differently at the time of writing and wanted to give a more "out of this world" feel.


End file.
